Tom Cruise: The Reviews Part 2

The Cruise-a-thon has been moving forward in the most interesting of ways. So far, I have to say, this might be the best summer movie marathon yet, but in the end, rivaling Arnold will be tough. Along w/ the Cruise fest, I've also been rewatching Lost w/ the kids & w/ Sara from Nicola's I'm in the middle of a Summer of Bond... in which we're up to Live & Let Die. As for the Cruise movies, here are the reviews of the 2nd 8 (the 1st 8 are here):

Knight & Day: Not nearly as bad as I expected. it's a fun action/comedy w/ some nice Mission Impossiblesque jokes. Of course, the plot has huge holes, but it's a big-budget action movie, so those are par for the course. (2 1/2 Volleyballs)

Valkyrie: A really cool movie, but the actors (Cruise included) never really seemed to give a shit. It was like they were just going through the motions. There was never any tension. Of course, we know it's not gonna work, but historical films usually find a way to add a little something that will make the audience give a damn. Maybe it needed a focus on his relationship w/ his wife or something. In the end, it's worth watching, but it's no 4 volleyball flick. (3 volleyballs)

Austin Powers in Goldmember: I only watched a little of this one. I suffered through it last year w/ Spacey. It's bad. And I mean bad... not good. Not like Michael Jackson in 1986, but like Michael Jackson in 1993. If you haven't already wasted an hour & a half w/ this clunker, don't! (0 volleyballs)

Vanilla Sly: A very cool movie, but it could have gone a bit further. They started w/ a nice premise, but by the end, it was a tad Hollywooded. I'll definitely watch it again though, & I think it'll make more sense the 2nd time through. (3 1/2 volleyballs)

Jerry McGuire: I almost squeezed out a couple tears towards the end of this. Don't get me wrong; I didn't... I just almost did. I can't believe I'd never seen it before. Cuba Gooding Jr. is fantastic; if only he had followed this up by then making something else worth while over the last 12 years, I might consider viewing his stuff next year. Alas, it won't happen. (3 volleyballs)

Far & Away: I saw this when it was first released on video & had pretty fond memories of it. In hind sight, I shouldn't have had fond memories. It's not so great. I like the premise, but it's pretty forced & patched together. I say, skip it unless you need a heartwarming St. Patrick's Day movie some time.

The Color of Money: Unlike Far & Away, this is even better than I remembered. I guess, when someone puts Paul Newman, Martin Scorsese, & Robbie Robertson in a room together, we shouldn't be surprised that what came out was pretty fantastic. Everything about it is great. Do yourself a favor & watch it again! (4 volleyballs)

Risky Business: After watching it a couple weeks ago, I came to the realization that I may never have seen it all the way through before. It's fun, but not as great as I expected. The plot is pretty bizarre though. I guess I knew what it was about, but he turns his house into a brothel to pay off some implausible debt. Only to be topped a few years ago in Babysitters, a film about a group of high schoolers who sleep w/ the local dads in order to save up for college. (2 volleyballs)